newspaper obituary

Ethel L. Cordes, 81, passed away Saturday, March 31, 2001, at the Pocahontas Community Hospital.

Services were 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 4, at the Oak Hill Baptist Church in Humboldt with Pastor Steve Bice officiating. Burial was in Marble Valley Cemetery in Gilmore City.

Survivors include her children and their spouses, Sharon and John Grass of LeRoy, Minnesota; Rick and Linda Cordes of West Union; sister Darlene Burns of Rolfe; eight grandchildren; and 13 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jack, brothers Elmer and Dale Lowe, and an infant sister Lois.

Ethel Louise Cordes, the daughter of Bert and Grace (Feaster) Lowe, was born on June 15, 1919, at her grandparents home in rural Mallard. She attended country school in Mallard and Bradgate. On June 19, 1936, she was united in marriage to Jack Cordes. She was a dedicated mother to her children who also helped out on the farm. She taught Sunday School and was a past president of the Church Women's Society at the Presbyterian Church in Rolfe. She was a resident of Humboldt Homes before moving to the Rolfe Care Center in the fall of 2001. She enjoyed sewing and was an avid crotcheter and knitter who made many afghans, table cloths, doilies and baby dresses. She also enjoyed cooking.

She was a former member of the Presbyterian Church in Rolfe, the Methodist Church in Gilmore City, and more recently a current member of the Oak Hill Baptist Church in Humboldt.